Volume 7, Chapter 427 – Pitiful, Eliminated Twice (Part 2)

Cheng Hongling’s figure was swift, but the profound ice beneath her feet was even faster. Before she could reach her opponent, the entire arena had already been sealed in ice. The surrounding temperature plummeted rapidly, as if the Goddess of Snow and Ice had descended.

“Hmph!”

Jin Shu snorted coldly. His muscular legs stomped against the ground, launching him forward like a raging bull. The massive, door-sized broadsword in his hands did nothing to hinder his speed, and a fierce gale whipped up in his wake.

Of course, compared to Cheng Hongling, Jin Shu’s speed still fell short, making him seem somewhat inadequate. Yet, there was not a trace of fear on his face.

Meanwhile, Bao Gang focused his mind, and suddenly, a large celadon bell materialized before him. The bell stood as tall as a person, its surface polished to a mirror sheen, intricate patterns clearly visible, forming a series of profound talismanic characters. At a glance, it was clear this was no ordinary artifact.

“T-that… isn’t that the Jinliu Sect’s treasured artifact, the ‘Celadon Demonic Sound Bell’?”

“It really is the Celadon Demonic Sound Bell! That thing takes years to accumulate enough energy for a single use. It seems the Jinliu Sect is dead set on winning this match!”

“Isn’t that obvious? If they lose, they’ll be forever branded with shame.”

“That Demonic Sound Bell is the bane of water-based True Qi. Cheng Hongling is in for a rough time now.”

“Not necessarily. Cheng Hongling practices ‘Water Exquisite Art’. Her True Qi isn’t ordinary water-based, it’s Profound Ice True Qi.”

“Doesn’t matter what kind of True Qi it is. Celadon belongs to the earth element, and earth suppresses water. As long as it’s water-attribute, it’ll be countered by the Demonic Sound Bell.”

The cultivators below exclaimed in shock.

“Demonic Sound Bell?”

Qi Huang frowned slightly, she had never heard of it before.

Meanwhile, the two combatants on stage had already exchanged several moves.

Jin Shu flicked out a talisman, which shattered midair, unleashing a terrifying burst of azure flames. With a forceful swing of his broadsword, the violent air currents sent the flames surging toward Cheng Hongling.

Cheng Hongling neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, she countered with a slash of her sword. The razor-sharp Profound Ice sword energy sliced through the roaring flames like a hot knife through butter, and her figure flashed through the gap without losing any momentum.

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Jin Shu remained unperturbed. He raised his broadsword horizontally, gathered True Qi in his right fist, and punched the flat of the blade.

Boom—!

A dull metallic clang resounded as the outer metal shell of the broadsword shattered, the fragments shooting toward Cheng Hongling like arrows. Beneath the shattered exterior, the true blade was no different from an ordinary sword.

Still, Cheng Hongling did not slow down. Her powerful Divine Sense surged outward, instantly freezing the metal fragments in midair. Her Blue Scale Sword danced swiftly, deflecting every incoming shard.

A sinister smile curled on Jin Shu’s lips. He tilted his sword, channeling a surge of True Qi into it. A tremendous suction force erupted from the blade, and the previously immobilized metal fragments broke free from Cheng Hongling’s Divine Sense, reversing course and streaking toward her unprotected back.

“Ah—!”

Miao Xiang’s heart leaped into her throat, and she instinctively grabbed Qi Huang’s hand.

Cheng Hongling’s willow-leaf brows furrowed slightly. Behind her, a wall of ice erupted from the ground, shielding her back completely.

Clang! Clang!

The fragments struck the ice wall, but its astonishing hardness effortlessly blocked them.

By then, Cheng Hongling had already closed the distance. Her Blue Scale Sword swept mercilessly toward Jin Shu’s throat.

Jin Shu knew better than to meet her head-on. With a light tap of his toes, he retreated rapidly. The talismanic characters on his sword flickered, and the metal fragments once again circumvented the ice wall, homing in on Cheng Hongling’s back. At the same time, his True Qi surged, condensing into a thin layer of armor that encased his entire body.

Uncertain of a decisive strike, Cheng Hongling had no choice but to leap into the air, attempting to evade the pursuing fragments.

Seizing the opportunity, Jin Shu counterattacked. He darted around, his sword flashing as he manipulated the fragments, directing them in an unrelenting assault.

Cheng Hongling whirled her Blue Scale Sword into an impenetrable barrier, trying to shatter the fragments. But soon, she realized something was wrong. The more she cut, the more fragments multiplied, and the smaller they became, making them increasingly difficult to defend against.

“Go on, keep cutting! The more you cut, the more there’ll be. Let’s see how long you can last!”

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Jin Shu laughed triumphantly.

“How does Jin Shu’s sword attract those metal fragments?”

“They say his sword is forged from a special material with magnetic properties, like a lodestone.”

“So he wasn’t just showing off by carrying that massive sword all this time? That thick metal casing was actually an offensive technique. The magnetic pull between them is so strong that even mid-Incarnation Realm Divine Sense can’t overcome it.”

“Not only that, but the metal casing itself is made of a highly toxic material. A single scratch could be fatal.”

The cultivators below murmured among themselves.

Cheng Hongling knew that evasion alone wouldn’t solve the problem. She landed, using her Divine Sense to summon a dome of ice around herself.

“As expected of a rat from Huangtian County, only knows how to hide in its hole.”

Jin Shu sneered, taunting her while controlling the fragments to bombard the ice shield.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The impacts produced metallic shrieks, a testament to the hardness of the Profound Ice.

“Need my help?”

Qi Huang grew concerned and sent a mental message to her main body.

“If I can’t handle this much, I don’t deserve to be your main body.”

Cheng Hongling’s voice remained composed.

Crack!

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At that moment, a fragment pierced through the ice shield.

“Hah! Is that all you’ve got? Without Divine Sense reinforcement, you’re nothing.”

Jin Shu grew increasingly excited, intensifying his assault.

Crack… Crack…

As time passed, more fragments embedded themselves into the shield, and the cracks spread wider.

Confident of victory, Jin Shu redoubled his efforts until the last fragment finally breached the ice.

But at that very moment—

The crumbling ice shield suddenly gleamed with radiant light, rapidly thickening and sealing all the fragments within.

“Damn it, a trap!”

Jin Shu’s face paled. He poured his True Qi into his sword, desperately trying to recall the fragments, but the Profound Ice was too dense, they wouldn’t budge.

“How foolish.”

Cheng Hongling flung aside the ice-encased fragments and lunged at Jin Shu once more, showing no signs of exhaustion.

“You think I’m helpless without those fragments? Naïve!”

Jin Shu showed no fear, meeting her with his sword. Now that the bulky metal casing was gone, his blade was of normal size, allowing him to swing it with terrifying speed, almost matching Cheng Hongling’s.

To the spectators below, the arena was a blur of clashing sword energies. The two moved so swiftly that only Divine Sense could track their movements.

“Hmph, so your only advantage is movement speed. Attack speed relies on physical strength. Without Divine Sense suppression, you think I’d fear you?”

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Jin Shu brimmed with confidence, ignoring the two gashes that had already appeared on his robes, proof that he was still slightly slower.

“A pity. You’re just that tiny bit slower than me. And that tiny bit is all I need to send you back to your ancestors!”

Cheng Hongling swiftly disengaged. Her jade-like fingers slid along her blade, leaving a trail of blood as she inscribed talismanic characters onto the sword.

At the same time, the surroundings darkened abruptly. The crowd looked up—

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky, roiling and colliding like savage beasts. Thunder roared, and dazzling bolts of lightning snaked through the gloom.

“Heavenly Thunder Sword! It’s the ultimate killing technique of water-based cultivators, the Heavenly Thunder Sword!”

“What? Heavenly Thunder Sword? They say once this technique is unleashed, if the blade draws blood, the victim is doomed. Combined with Cheng Hongling’s Dancing Butterfly Movement Technique, it’s practically invincible!”

“Exactly. Once blood is drawn, the heavenly thunder will pursue the wounded relentlessly until its energy is exhausted.”

“That powerful? Then why do people say water-based cultivators lack offensive power?”

“Because the Heavenly Thunder Sword is incredibly difficult to master. In the entire Western Radiance Dynasty, Cheng Hongling is the only one who can use it. So you could say it’s her personal trump card!”

The cultivators below gasped in astonishment.

“Do it now!”

Jin Shu’s expression turned grave as he shouted at Bao Gang behind him.

Without hesitation, Bao Gang gathered his True Qi and slammed both palms against the “Demonic Sound Bell”.

Dang—!

A crisp chime reverberated as the bell trembled violently, its vibrations even shaking the arena beneath it.